Prisoners
by BlueEclipse
Summary: When Katara and Zuko are imprisoned together in the Fire Nation, they soon realize that they must overlook each others differences in order to escape... and survive. What happens when they realize they're not as different as they think?
1. Unspoken

Chapter One

Unspoken

Zuko struggled to break free; he tried to pull away from the soldiers who held his arms. He dug his heels into the ground, forcing them to pull him. He gritted his teeth, focusing on his energy, feeling the burning chi that ran through his body, trying to muster up as much fire as possible. He could have exploded.

Then he felt the point of a spear in his back.

"You'll make it easier on yourself if you stop struggling," the soldier told him. Zuko could hear the faint trace of humor in his voice. He was enjoying this.

Zuko twisted his head back, stumbling a little as he was pulled towards the prison cells. "Why don't you just _impale_ me now? Like you did my uncle!" he said to the guard with the spear. Zuko's voice was full of fire, but the glistening tears in his golden eyes revealed his true sorrow.

"Nah… the Fire Lord wants you alive- at least, until he decides what's to be done with you," the soldier smirked. "And we've found you the perfect cellmate. One of the _late _Avatar's good friends, a waterbender."

Zuko was deaf to the soldier's final words, however. He was reliving the last couple years in his mind, thinking of how his life had tumbled slowly downhill ever since the day of that War Council…

He stopped struggling.

* * *

Katara had been sleeping on the floor of her cell when the soldiers threw Zuko in. He fell to the ground besides her and didn't move. He didn't want to move anymore. He didn't want to do anything anymore except die. Death would take him away from this world, this _hell_, and reunite him with his mother and uncle.

The girl besides him cried out in her sleep.

Katara's dreams were troubled. They hadn't been good or sweet since the Final Battle. The battle that had decided the fate of the world. The battle that had torn her life apart, into shreds. The battle where Aang had died.

Flames consumed him in her dream. She could hear herself crying to Aang, she could see the fire crawling up his body, burning his clothes and skin. They engulfed him, and Katara saw his tattoo split to reveal gray, smoldering skull. His once bright eyes were only black holes in his head. His youthful smile became the grin of death, his bony jaws gaping at her. Katara had saw him burned to death. Her own screams echoed in her ears.

But then she awoke.

The first thing the waterbender noticed was the unusual _heat_ in her cell. Usually it was freezing cold, numbing up her fingers and toes, biting through her thin cloak. But she felt so warm… It was such a welcome feeling.

Katara turned on her side to see where the glorious heat was coming from, and discovered that she wasn't surprised to find out it was Zuko lying besides her. She didn't think twice when she scooted closer to him- after a few months of captivity, her primitive nature was forced to take over- and he didn't seem to care. After a few minutes of warmth, her mind began to work right and she felt herself returning.

Katara knew Zuko was alive, and that he was obviously fighting some inner battle to so increase his body temperature high enough for her to feel it. His breathing was slow, however. It would seem as if he was holding his breath for as long as he could and then there was a _whoosh_ and he would take one more, large breath.

_Are you trying to kill yourself? _She thought to him. _Please don't… I need the heat. _She couldn't bring herself to say the words aloud. The old part of her, the old Katara that had known freedom and had loved Aang (and absolutely _hated_ Zuko) surfaced into her mind. _You're lying next to your enemy… depending on your enemy's heat! What's wrong with you?_

I'm in a Fire Nation cell… so is he. He's not exactly my enemy anymore…

_What happened to your morals?_

I won't have any morals if I die of cold!

Katara stared at Zuko, a part of her glad that he was here. Not only did he provide heat, he provided company, something that was so instilled into her brain, so necessary because generations of her ancestors had relied on the association of others, thus grounding this one instinct permanently into her brain. Relying on others was important to the early people of her world. If someone was sick or injured, they would need the help and care of another. Just like she needed Zuko's body heat. Just like she wanted it. It was vital if she were to survive any longer.

Zuko was scarcely aware of Katara's presence. He was thinking of how he compared to a dying flame because that was certainly how he _felt_. He could feel himself extinguishing, the fire in his chest was burning itself out. It would grow brighter and brighter and then it'd exhaust itself out and die. Zuko began to wonder if he hadn't been dying all along these last few years, ever since his mother left. An emptiness filled his soul, black nothing eating him away. _Is this what it feels like to die…?_ He held his breath, urging the dark to come faster. Wishing it'd just hurry up and end his suffering. All of a sudden, a bright burst of color exploded inside him, and he saw everyone he'd ever met, every place he'd ever been, everything he'd ever done. He saw his failures and successes. He saw his childhood home, and then the elaborately decorated room on a ship. His room… He saw his uncle Iroh and his mother, the two people he loved overall, the two people who knew him best. The two people who he needed the most right now, and they were gone.

Zuko began to cry.

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! My first fanfic on this site! I've already finished writing Chapter 2, so I'll have it up when I can!

Please review and tell me what you think!


	2. She Cares

Chapter Two

She Cares

Zuko awoke when he felt the soothing touch of cool water on his forehead. He opened his eyes, which were immediately used to the dark, and saw bright blue ones looking into his own.

He made an incomprehensible _mmrph_ sound, and for a moment he made to push Katara away, but then relaxed. He felt like he was burning inside, and the water felt good.

Zuko watched Katara bending the water onto his forehead through half-lidded eyes before asking, "Where you get water?"

Katara continued to bend water onto his head for a moment before replying, "A guard brought it. He brought some bread too, but it's stale." She picked up a slice from a plate besides her and held it out towards him. Zuko shook his head.

He was confused about why Katara was being so friendly. _I'm her enemy… she's here because of my people._ But he decided not to question her motives. Neither of them were in a good condition (though Katara looked worse) and Zuko didn't feel like fighting with the young water bender.

He eventually came to the conclusion that she was "nursing" him because she was bored and hadn't had any human contact for awhile. He was partially right, too; Katara was also caring for him because she actually _did_ care. Now that she had his warmth, she didn't exactly want to go back to freezing in the cold cell again.

"Do you want a drink?" Katara asked, interrupting Zuko's thoughts.

He nodded and began to sit up to get the bowl of water when he felt her arm slide in around his back, supporting it. Zuko jerked away. This had gone too far.

"I'm not dying!" he snapped at her. "I'm strong enough to pick up a bowl of water by myself!"

Katara stared at him, her face flushing in embarrassment and something else- was it _relief?_ Then, her eyes narrowed and she bent half the bowl of water into his face.

Zuko's own eyes narrowed as he too became angry, though really the expression was a mask he had long since perfected to hide his true feelings. He really felt embarrassed- how could he have depended on the stupid little water peasant like that? He felt utterly foolish and- dare he admit it- childish.

He opened his mouth to berate her or something, but Katara beat him to it.

"You spoiled idiot…" she cried, stuttering a little as she tried to find the right words to insult him with. "You won't let no one care for you because you have to keep your image, right? Well, sorry to bring you back to reality, but you're in this jail cell same as me!" Katara knew that her insult hadn't been as colorful as she'd liked, partly because neither of them were in a good position to argue with each other, but she still felt angry.

Zuko felt the same way, except he was also mad that she had insulted him _first._ He stood, turning away from that insane girl on the ground. _Me, a spoiled idiot?_ he thought. _That stupid waterbender hasn't been through a quarter of the things I have._

"I always knew it'd come to this," Zuko said. "The waterbender serving the firebender, even in jail."

Katara's jaw dropped, and her eyes widened. Now _that_ comment had stung. She jumped to her feet (a task that was harder then usual in her weakened state), a look of absolute outrage on her face.

"The waterbenders _never_ served the firebenders!" she cried. "Any decent waterbender would _die_ before they served a firebender!"

Zuko twisted around to face her and smirked. "Then you're not decent."

Katara crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at him. "I was helping you," she said.

"I didn't need help."

"And you don't need my water either," Katara said simply, and with that, she kicked over the bowl of water.

Zuko stared at her for a moment, and then looked down at where the water had spilled. As he watched the precious liquid seep down into the earthen floor, he was immediately reminded of how hot he was, and how dry his throat was. How dry and scratchy.

"You _stupid peasant!"_ he cursed. "That water… it's mine… you shouldn't…" Anger seemed to grip Zuko's throat, taking away his voice until all he did was sputter. Katara cold see Zuko clinch his fists, even in the dim light of the cell, and for a moment she felt a quick stab of fear. _What if he starts to firebend and burns me? _She ten realized that she didn't really care. He couldn't do anything to her that he hadn't done before.

Down at the end of the corridor, two guards exchanged glances. They had both heard Zuko and Katara yelling at each other; their voices echoed throughout the cells. They knew eventually they would quiet down; all prisoners did after awhile. Either that, or one of them would kill the other first. That was one of the reasons the banished prince had been put in the cell with the waterbender. Their fighting was great entertainment for the bored soldiers.

One of the guards, a man named Honj, smirked at the other.

"Bet you she murders him first," he said. "That water bender's crazy."

* * *

Thanks for reviewing!

EDIT: I took out the bad word in this chapter. It was bugging me. :D


	3. Flashback

**Chapter Three**

**Flashback**

_Katara spun around, laughing as she danced beneath a bright crescent moon and twinkling stars. The night was calm, the snow and the icy houses of the village glistening in the soft moonlight. _

_She heard Sokka call her name. "Katara! Mom says it's time to come in." He trudged through the snow towards her, frowning as his younger sister threw herself down into the white powder, pulling the blue hood of her parka over her head and giggling._

_"C'mon, Katara," Sokka whined. "It's time to come in."_

_"I heard you the first time!" came her muffled reply._

_The older boy opened his moth to say something else when they heard the foreign grind of a motor. Sokka turned, watching in horror as the dark shapes of three Fire Navy ships crashed into the snowy walls surrounding the village. He screamed their father's name before pulling Katara up by her arm._

_"C'mon! We have to hide!" he cried. Already the tribe had erupted into chaos. There was a burst of fire, followed by the screams of women and children. Katara's vision was a blur of red, blue, and white as tears filled her eyes. She could smell smoke, she could see the weapons shining, hear the cries of "Firebenders!" She was so confused._

_"Why are they attacking?" she cried as Sokka pulled on her arm, pulling her towards their home where maybe they could find their father._

_"It's the Fire Nation!" Sokka said without looking back. They both stumbled in the snow and fell, panicking as a pillar of fire barely missed their heads._

_"We have to find Dad!" he coughed out._

_"Where's Mom?" Katara cried._

_A woman, her parka badly singed by fire, fell into the snow before them. Katara screamed when she saw the bloody wound in the woman's abdomen. It was then that she realized who it was._

_"Momma? Are you okay?" She let go of Sokka's hand, pushing hair out of the woman's face, gazing into her cloudy blue eyes._

_"Mom!"_

_"Mom?"_

"Mom!"

Katara's eyes snapped open and she lurched forward, looking around wildly, her breath coming out in harsh pants. The snow was gone, replaced by gray brick. The moon, the stars, they had disappeared. It had just been a dream…

_I've awakened from one nightmare into another,_ she thought.

"Bad dream?" questioned a voice, and Katara turned to see two brilliant yellow eyes shining through the dark at her. _Zuko's here,_ she remembered. _And I'm supposed to be mad at him… for what? Oh yes, for what he said… and the fact that he's a jerk!_

"Why do you care?" she asked, looking away and leaning against the cold wall, tracing her fingers down the rock. If only she were an earth bender…

"I don't care," Zuko said quickly. _Is she still mad about what I said yesterday…?_

Silence followed this response. Katara stared at the damp stone of the cell wall before her, wondering what she did to deserve being stuck _here_. After everything she had been through, all the great adventures with Aang, all the wonderful things that she had seen, was this really how her life should end? Stuck in a dark, smelly cell with Prince Zuko? Had she been given too much at one time? Maybe the spirits felt that her purpose in life was fulfilled? _Or maybe it's meant for something more…_

* * *

"Could you light a fire?" Katara asked. "It's kind of chilly in here."

Zuko smirked. "What do you mean, _chilly?_ The temperature feels fine to me."

Katara crossed her arms and frowned, glaring at him. "Well, that's great for you, but what about me?"

"I don't have to help _you_."

"You don't help anyone except yourself, that's your problem," Katara replied, her voice rising in pitch as she grew angrier. "If you had helped other people, we probably wouldn't be in here!"

"Shut up." Zuko narrowed his eyes at her, clenching his fists and trying to keep his temper in check. Was she blaming him for their being here? He had no control over these things! If the stupid water bender hadn't wanted to deal with the Fire Nation, she shouldn't have joined the Avatar!

"If you had cared for the fate of others, of the _world_, thousands of people wouldn't be killed every_day_…"

Why was she bringing the war into this? He would have lit her the stupid fire…

"And maybe Aang could have-"

"Wait," Zuko interrupted. "Are you blaming _me_ for the Avatar's death?"

"No…" Katara replied slowly, the trace of a sob in her voice. She looked away and Zuko could barely hear what she said next.

"That was my fault."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry this took so long to get out. I was having major Writer's Block! Once again, thanks for the reviews! I might keep this chapter or I'll rewrite it. I don't know, maybe I'm being too hard on myself.

Please review!


	4. Peace and Plans

**A/N: **Well, here's Chapter Four! Sorry it took so long to get out...

* * *

Chapter Four

Peace and Plans

"What do you mean, it's _your _fault the Avatar's dead?" Zuko asked.

Katara bowed her head a moment, trying to suppress the guilty feelings that had risen up within her. Her hands were cold and clammy, and she fidgeted with them before crossing her arms, trying to look anywhere except where Zuko sat. She could only imagine what must be going through his head… _The Avatar's best friend was the one who killed him!_

She didn't want him to get that satisfaction out of her.

But it was the truth. As horrible as it was, as much as she didn't want to believe it, Katara had killed Aang. She had killed the world's last hope for freedom. Her best friend.

Unwanted memories flooded into Katara's mind, each image frozen in her head. There was Aang's face, contorted into a mask of horror and rage. It was an expression no 12-year-old boy should _ever_ have to make. She remembered the bright blue bolt of lightning- Azula- burning through the air above her… Sokka's shoulder was bleeding. Why? Oh yes, one of Mai's daggers had gotten past his machete… the lightning hit the ceiling, and the debris came tumbling down on her. Katara remembered the crushing weight, her breath forced from her body as ceiling and marble crumbled on top of her… A scream had ripped from her throat, and Aang had turned. Toph had bent the rocks off of her just in time for her to see Aang _burn._

If she hadn't screamed, she wouldn't be in this cell. Zuko wouldn't. Realization seemed to slap Katara in the face. _She had blamed Zuko for their being here, while it was really her fault!_ She tried to ignore the guilty feelings she got, tried to tell herself that he deserved it for being selfish, but couldn't. It was just another thing to burden her conscience.

Katara met Zuko's eyes. To her surprise, he did not wear a smirk like she thought he would. There was no smugness about him. Instead, he looked confused. Perhaps he _did _understand. Perhaps the sensitive subject had erased any hostility towards her (at least for the moment) for he didn't _look_ angry. The moment reminded Katara of the time they had been imprisoned together in the crystal catacombs of old Ba Sing Se… he had understood _then_ (she didn't want to think of what had happened afterwards). She didn't get her hopes up however; Zuko hadn't exactly been friendly when he had first came here. He had seemed so like himself, she would have thought that his betrayal at Ba Sing Se would have humbled him a _little_…

Zuko could tell she was guilty. Had she really actually killed the Avatar? Directly? He couldn't believe it, but by the way she was acting… he could see it in her blue eyes too. At first, he had thought it was a plea of sympathy (who knew how long she had been in here; she was probably crazy by now) but the guilt was stamped all over Katara's face. He couldn't help but be interested. Now, if only she'd tell him…

"How did you kill the Avatar?" he asked. _Betrayal? Deceit? _Katara's gaze sharpened a moment. He had asked the question so carelessly, without any compassion at all. Of course… hadn't Zuko always been like that?

She paused, still considering whether to tell him or not… she wanted to _so_ badly, the pain of holding something like this in for so long hurt so much, but Zuko? She _had_ told herself when he'd first came here that he wasn't the enemy. Sure, they didn't get along, but… he was the only human being here at the moment, and that would have to be enough.

"We had just gotten to the Fire Lord's war chamber…" she began. Zuko's eyes widened a moment; he hadn't expected her to answer. He had thought she was just going to say 'Why do you care?' and go into one of her moods again. Katara continued. "Aang had entered first, and suddenly the door had closed behind him and we couldn't see him anymore so Toph broke through it… Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee had surrounded him, and so we all started to fight, and Aang went to fight the Fire Lord…" She took a breath, her voice shaking as she formed the words. Zuko couldn't help but think what a spectacle in must have been to see his father fight the Avatar…

"Sokka had gotten hurt, so I was trying to heal him and fight Azula at the same time," Katara said. "She sent a bolt of lightning towards the ceiling, and it crumbled on top of me… I screamed, and it distracted Aang and he… he… died."

An almost awkward silence followed Katara's confession. Zuko's face was blank and emotionless, his eyes revealing nothing. She stared at him almost earnestly, waiting to hear his response, to know what he thought. Then…

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

The fire that blossomed inside Katara overwhelmed her. Her eyes blazed with anger, and she couldn't help but feel humiliated. How could she have ever thought that he could understand? He had never thought of Aang as a person, he didn't know how it _felt!_

"What do you mean, stupidest? That's what happened!" She wiped away a few threatening tears. "I'm so dumb, I can't believe I thought _you…_" She stopped in mid-sentence as if she couldn't bear to continue speaking any longer.

Zuko was shaking his head. "I know you think the Avatar's _perfect_"-Katara shot him a dirty look- "But it's his own fault he's dead."

"No, if I hadn't screamed…"

"If the Avatar had been properly trained, he would have known never to have taken his eyes off the enemy" Zuko said with a knowledgeable air about him. "Saying you killed the Avatar is like saying I-" His eyes widened, and Katara could sense that he had almost crossed over into a dark subject. She did not press him.

"Still…" he continued as if nothing had happened. "If you want to keep _thinking_ it's your fault the Avatar's dead, then it's also your fault we're in here."

Katara stared at the gray stone floor. She had really hoped that he would not bring that up… she truly did feel bad. But there was a good side to the whole conversation, actually- _they were talking without fighting._ A little peace had been made.

"I'm sorry" she said softly. "I was upset and I didn't mean it… I'm sorry." Normally, pride would have prevented her from apologizing to him for anything, but pride didn't matter anymore.

Zuko was surprised, but he hid it quickly, putting on the neutral stare that he had long since perfected. He wasn't going to _forgive_ her. That just wasn't in his nature… _but betraying his uncle hadn't been in his nature either,_ said a nasty little voice in his head. Had it? He suddenly knew why someone could go mad while being cooped up in a cell all alone. With nothing but their thoughts, they could only dwell on the mistakes they made in life and what could have happened if they would have been a little smarter, or kinder, or _better._

"So…" he said a bit awkwardly. "If I'm going to light a fire, what exactly am I supposed to _burn?_"

* * *

Zuko held the little globe of fire in the palm of his hands. It had warmed the room up well, but he could feel his energy draining and knew that soon he would have to put it out. It was one of the disadvantages of being a firebender. 

Katara lay on her stomach, peering through the slot at the bottom of the door through which the guards slipped the food and drink. They hadn't come yet. She sat up and looked over at Zuko, who stared back at her expectantly.

"I don't think we're getting fed today," she said, and as if in protest, her growling stomach gave a particularly loud groan. It felt like it was literally rolling inside her body.

Zuko dissipated the flames in his hands by closing them. His stomach hurt, but he tried not to think about it. There was only one problem, though- without food, he had no energy. Without energy, there was no fire.

"Do they do this often?" he asked, still not used to them being able to talk to each other calmly, like civilized human beings. "You know, forget the food?"

"Sometimes" Katara replied with a shrug. She scooted back to sit against the wall before trying to wipe dirt from her fading blue robe. "I've been here for nearly two months. It's disgusting." She seemed to be talking to herself more than to him.

Zuko couldn't help the surprise he felt. "Two _months_?" She had survived on meager portions of bread and water for two _months_? How could she have lived? She must have been made of stronger stuff then he had ever thought… maybe it came from living in the wastelands of the South Pole.

Katara raised an eyebrow at Zuko's apparent shock. "Yes" she replied, hiding her amusement well.

The firebender frowned. Why had his father kept Katara alive so long? He never kept his enemies alive for _too_ long… and it was apparent she hadn't been forgotten. He asked her this.

"I think Azula was put in charge of what would happen to me." Katara's voice was full of uncertainty, and she gazed at something invisible above Zuko's head as she tried to gather her thoughts. "I was unconscious when I was put in here, and she came here one day and told me that I'd be executed when the Water Tribes fell."

_I'm surprised they haven't already fell_, she thought darkly. What would happen to the oasis and the other water benders if the Northern Tribe fell? Then, a scarier thought occurred. What about the South Pole? What if she never saw her father, or GranGran ever again. If anything had ever scared her, it wasn't the threat of an approaching death. It was the fact that she may be lost from her family forever. She fought back tears. She couldn't let that happen. She would have to escape soon. Very soon.

Zuko stared at Katara's face, watching the swarm of emotions that fell over it. _She's afraid_, he thought. _And she should be._ Fire Nation executions were horrible… What would happen to him? Would his father execute him too? _No, _said a small voice in his head. _You're his son… he wouldn't hurt you… he'll forgive you…_And, of course, Zuko knew that was a lie. He was suddenly flooded with hatred, for himself and Ozai. Why had he spent so much time trying to please his father? Why couldn't he have gotten that Ozai despised him? Iroh had loved Zuko. He had treated him like a real parent should, nurturing and caring and teaching… Why couldn't he have realized that sooner, before it was too late?

Katara's voice was a godsend, breaking through his thoughts. "We need to escape," she said. Her voice was like steel. "I've tried everything I could think of, everything in my power, but nothing's worked. Maybe with you here…"

"What's the point?" Zuko said softly, bowing his head, the very picture of defeat. "There is nothing left out there for us."

Katara was about to tell him 'maybe not you, but there is for _me'_ but thought otherwise. Instead, she said, "Zuko, as long as there's something to fight for, there's something to live for."

He gave a harsh laugh. The change in his mood was astounding. "You sound like my uncle," he said bitterly. "One of his proverbs. His wisdom. They didn't help very much, now did they?" He glanced up at her, his gold eyes cold and empty. He spoke like a madman, and Katara couldn't help but feel a little frightened. Suddenly, the sorrow returned to his eyes and he bowed his head once more.

She hadn't known that Iroh was dead, but of course that was obvious now. Zuko had lost everything. No wonder he thought there was no point in escaping! _How can someone who was meant to be so great end up with nothing_? She thought. It seemed so unfair. Of course, life was never fair, now was it?

She stood slowly, walking over to stand before him before kneeling down. "Please, Zuko, I really need your help." There was no response. "There is still a reason to live." Once again he made no answer. "Do you really want to die here, in a cold cell?"

His head snapped up, his eyes sharp and piercing, a snarl on his face. The gold eyes were like daggers, and Katara felt herself recoil from them, her breath catching in her throat. What had happened to him? He had been okay earlier, now he seemed suicidal!

"No, I don't want to die here," his voice was low, liquid and dangerous like molten lava.

"Then will you help me?" Her eyes hardened into a look that rivaled his own.

"Yes."

* * *

By the next morning, Zuko had gotten over his depressive feelings (much to Katara's relief). They spent most of the day concocting escape plans, each one wilder than the last. When the guards finally brought their 'dinner', they were both tired, discouraged, and slightly annoyed with each other. 

Zuko lifted the bowl of water to his lips, letting the cool liquid flow across his parched tongue and into his dry throat. It had been nearly three days since he'd last had a drink of water, and he was grateful for it. Katara nibbled thoughtfully at a chunk of bread, though it did little to ease the constant grinding pain of her stomach.

"I wish my brother were here. He always comes up with good plans," she said aloud. Zuko snickered, accidentally squirting water out his nose. Katara glared at him, though she was really happy that he was feeling okay, and that they weren't fighting. Yesterday had scared her.

"Really, he does have good plans," she continued. And if Toph were here, she could just _earthbend_ us out." The water bender was quiet for a moment as she thought of her brother and friend, hoping they were okay. The both of them were probably leading an attack on the Fire Nation right at this very moment… or maybe they had gone to the South Pole to defend it. Of course, Toph wouldn't like _that_ very much! She thought with a laugh.

Suddenly, Katara dropped the piece of bread, her eyes lighting up with the look of sudden discovery. "Oh my…" she said under her breath.

"Are you okay?" Zuko asked warily. Had the waterbender finally cracked?

"I can't believe I didn't think of this before!" Katara exclaimed, jumping to her feet. Her weakened legs screamed in protest due to the fast movement, but she ignored them. "I can't believe I even _remembered _this!"

"Remembered what?" Zuko asked irritably as she began to pace the room.

Katara stopped pacing, looking at him with bright eyes, a huge smile on her face.

"I know how we can escape" she said. "It's something Sokka told me once…"

He stared up at her expectantly for a moment before finally rolling his eyes and saying, "And what did he tell you?"

Katara's look was full of childish joy. "Remember how you spent nearly an hour this morning examining the door before coming up with that _genius_ conclusion that the hinges are made of metal?"

"Yes." Zuko glared at her, about to tell her off for being so damn sarcastic, but then deciding against it.

"Well, what happens to metal when it's heated very hot and then cooled immediately after?"

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! I finally got Chap. 4 out! Sorry it took so long. I was having some trouble writing it the way I wanted it to. I just hope it doesn't seem like Zuko and Katara are getting along too fast... I love that line where Zuko's like "That's the stupidest thing I've ever hear." SPOILER- by either Chap.6 or 7, fans of a certain character are going to kill me... Oh, and I know this is incredibly late, but happy new year to everyone! (My new year's resolution is to update faster :P)

Please review!


	5. Fever

Chapter Five

Fever

_"Hey, Katara!" Sokka cried, sliding down a snow drift to sit besides his sister. She glared at him a moment, shaking the fragile snowflakes from the fur lining her parka's hood. Why was he interrupting her? Didn't he see that she was trying to bend?_

_"Hey, Katara," he repeated. "Do you know how to weaken metal?'_

_"Yes," she replied in a bored voice. Really, what was the point of asking her _that?_ "You melt it." The young waterbender pulled her glove off, moving her hand in fluid motions over the snow, trying to see if she could bend it better then she had while wearing gloves. Nothing happened._

_"No!" Sokka smiled gleefully, happy that he knew something that she didn't. "If you heat the metal as hot as possible, like when the fire's blue, and then cool it right afterwards, it'll get brittle!"_

_Katara glanced at her brother, squinting her eyes against the harsh, arctic sun. "That can't possibly work."_

_"Yes it can. Dad told me, and Dad knows everything…"_

Katara smiled at the memory as she leaned against the cell's door. How old had she and Sokka been? It had to have been before their mother died… or maybe it wasn't, she couldn't remember… What was Sokka doing now? Hopefully he and Toph were okay… Hopefully they were safe…

Zuko sat on the stone floor, picking absently at what was left of the stale bread. "It's not going to work," he said, speaking of the plan. "I've already tried melting the hinges, and you've tried freezing them, and it didn't work. Doing both won't work either."

The waterbender rolled her eyes. Why was he being such a wet blanket all of a sudden? Didn't he want to escape? He hadn't even given her plan a chance; the moment she had told him it, he had declared it impossible! What if Zuko was right, though? When Sokka had first told her about this one property of metal, she hadn't believed him either. Maybe he had been lying, or making up something to get her admiration… _but he said that Dad told him it, and Sokka wouldn't lie about something like that…_

"Do you have any better ideas?" Katara asked, folding her arms and glaring down at Zuko, who continued picking at the food. Her good mood was quickly evaporating. "We have to try everything we can think of to escape, no matter how crazy it is. And stop wasting the bread," she added.

The firebender glanced up at her for a moment, crumbling the bread in his hands before pushing himself up slowly from the floor and standing. "What are we supposed to break the hinges with?" he asked.

Katara frowned, staring at the floor for a moment. What _could_ they use? Maybe the bowls the water came in… no, they wouldn't be strong enough… _We could always use your head,_ she thought to Zuko with a giggle. She couldn't help but feel annoyed that he seemed so keen on finding every flaw in her plan… of course, she was glad he found them _now_ instead of later.

"I don't know," she said finally, a wave of defeat sweeping over her. Her hope, which had been ignited by her escape plan, diminished. What if they couldn't think of anything else? She had been so sure her plan would work… Katara froze, her eyes widening with realization. Maybe there _was_ something that could break the hinges…

The waterbender made her way to the back of the cell, and Zuko saw her kneel down into one of the dark corners. The light from the window only went so far and, although the cell was small, he could barely see her in the black. There was the sound of stone hitting against stone, and a moment later Katara emerged from the darkness with a chunk of rock in her hands. Zuko stared at it in dumb shock as she said, "We can use this."

"Where did you get that?" Zuko's bewilderment was obvious, and Katara couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips.

"When I was first put in here, I tried cutting through the stone with my waterbending. I couldn't break through to the other side, but I _did _manage to break some chunks off the wall."

She handed the stone to Zuko. He could hold it in one hand easily, but the rock weighed more than one would expect from it's size. He realized for the first time just how much being imprisoned had weakened him.

"Do you think it'll stand being hit against the hinges?" he asked, passing the stone back to Katara. He couldn't help the feeling of uselessness that he was getting- the waterbender had came up with the solution to their problems twice today- but at least he wasn't allowing her to go through with the plan without testing it first.

Katara held the stone out for a moment before taking a step away from Zuko. "Let's see…" She slammed the stone into the floor. It hit hard, sending up sparks upon impact, before rolling away, a white mark the only sign that the rock had hit anything.

"It worked!" Katara exclaimed, staring at the spot the stone had left behind. She could barely contain the excitement rushing throughout her body. "It worked," she repeated breathlessly. _There's still hope…_

"We can break the first hinge tomorrow."

* * *

_Power in firebending comes from the breath, not the muscles…_

Zuko closed his eyes, remembering the advice his uncle had given him so long ago. Iroh had reminded him of it often- the young firebender had never seemed to get the concept that something like breathing could produce something as powerful as fire. Had it really been foolish to think that physical strength, something strong, could produce power in firebending? It made sense… of course, looking at the few powerful firebenders he knew (Azula came to mind), Zuko had been wrong in thinking that muscle gave everything strength.

He opened his eyes, focusing his energy in his hands, trying to keep his breathing as level as possible. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Katara staring at him anxiously, the drinking water from that day shining in her hands. _The hinge! Focus on the hinge!_ he lectured himself. His thoughts had started to stray…

The fire burst from Zuko's hands, wildly at first before taking a definite shape.

Katara took a step away from Zuko as the air around him grew incredibly hot. The flames threw shadows upon his face, accentuating his high cheekbones and making the scar more noticeable and grotesque. The lines deepened in the firebender's forehead as he struggled to control the element- his energy was weaning. Finally, when he could stand it no longer, Zuko stopped the fire and Katara rushed forward, bending the cool water onto the brightly glowing hinge.

The metal hissed angrily. It took all of Katara's concentration to keep the water frozen over the hinge. Soon, the metal cooled and Katara unfroze the water with a flick of her wrists. She wiped sweat from her forehead before breathing a sigh of relief.

"Well, that wasn't as hard as I thought," she said, glancing over at Zuko. He glared at her before leaning against the cell's wall. His chest rose and fell sharply, his breath coming out in harsh pants. His limbs felt as if they were made of lead, and his head felt as if someone had taken a hammer to it. He couldn't believe how _horrible_ he felt- the intense bending and the days without proper meals were starting to take their toll. The firebender was drained.

"Are you all right?" Katara asked, her voice full of concern.

Zuko gave her the slightest of nods before bending down to pick up the stone. He nearly lost his balance- the cell seemed to be _turning_…

"Maybe I should break the hinge…" the waterbender said, eyeing Zuko with apprehension. _What's wrong with him? _she wondered. He had nearly _fell!_ She had heard of how firebending took up the energy of the bender, but she had never expected him to weaken like he did, even in their present situation.

Zuko opened his mouth to say something back to her, but suddenly a wave of nausea swept over him. He fought it away, but the next thing he knew, he was falling. Something hard hit his head, sending red hot pain flashes throughout his skull, and then everything went black…

The last thing he felt were cool hands touching his forehead.

* * *

_She sat alone, her legs crossed as if she were meditating, her hands resting palms up on her knees, her back straight and erect. Her dark red dress fell in folds about her body and her ashen grey hair was arranged perfectly about her face. The woman's eyes were closed but he knew that they were the same gold as his own. Her mouth was set in a tightly drawn line, but he had heard her voice many times before._

_Zuko didn't want to look his mother in the face._

_Instead, he looked at the tall oak tree rising up behind her, it's thick branches stretching across a pale blue sky. The leaves of the tree were red and orange, and the breeze made them dance together like fire. Golden light, coming from an unseen sun, fell upon the hill, lighting it like a beacon in a dark sea. He knew this place well. As a young boy, he and his mother had come here often to get away from the chaos of the palace, or to watch the Navy ships sailing in and out of the nearby bay. Except now, he could see neither palace nor bay. Where they should have been, there was only darkness._

_"Zuko, my love, have you forgotten me?"_

_The young fire bender looked at his mother's face in surprise. Her mouth hadn't moved when she had spoken. "Of course I haven't… how could I?" he answered._

_"You've forgotten who you are, so you have forgotten me." Ursa's voice was louder now, and sharp with anger. It reverberated throughout the air._

_"No…" Zuko squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists. "I know who I am."_

_"Liar." There was a clap of thunder as the golden clouds turned black. Ursa's eyes snapped open, and she stood in one fluid motion, towering over her son. Her eyes were glowing._

_"You are not the son I left behind." This time Ursa really did speak, and Zuko saw that the glow was coming from her mouth too… just like the Avatar's… "I did not teach you to lie, and to steal…" A long bolt of blue lightning struck the oak tree, and it burst into flames. Zuko was having trouble standing now; strong gusts of wind threatened to throw him off the hill and into the swirling clouds below, which had someone turned into an ocean… "Zuko, I did not teach you to hate…"_

_"Then why did you leave me?" he screamed at her. "I needed you, and you left…" He sank to the ground, bowing his head. "I needed you…"_

_Suddenly, the storm was gone. The wind let up, the dark clouds became gold again. The tree looked as if fire had never touched it. It's leaves seemed to whisper secrets to the breeze._

_"I needed to protect you," Ursa said sadly, kneeling down before her son. "I needed to leave you so you would have a chance to live."_

_"Then you sacrificed yourself for nothing," Zuko told her._

_Ursa's next words were a whisper._

_"You are not alone in this world…"_

Katara sighed, bending water onto Zuko's forehead. It burned with a fever that she was sure would have killed a lesser man, and she couldn't help the feelings of frustration welling up inside her.

She was a healer, and she had no idea why or what Zuko was sick with. Her stomach hurt worse than usual, from both hunger pains and the fact that she was nervous beyond her wits… What if he dies? She didn't have any medicine, only the daily bowl of water, and even that wasn't consistent.

_It's not like I care whether he lives or not. I just need him so I can break the other hinges, _she thought. The waterbender knew it sounded selfish, and she also knew it was a lie. But she had to tell herself that. It was necessary, it was _familiar._

Hating Zuko was familiar. It was something she could associate to her former life, her life of adventures with Aang and Sokka, and Toph. With Momo, and Appa. Those words were so _foreign _now; she had to say them aloud, as if to see if they still existed.

"Aang. Avatar. Sokka. GranGran and Toph, and Hakoda." Katara frowned, and the words tore from her mouth.

"_Prince Zuko."_

He had been asleep since yesterday, when she had first come up with the escape plan. Since then, Katara had had a lot of time to think about the last few days. To think about _him_ being here, and her feelings about it. She had thought about what she would do once she escaped. She had even considered whether or not to ask Zuko if he wanted to travel with her, seeing as he had nowhere left to go.

But it wasn't that simple. They just couldn't forget their past like that. Katara immediately hated the silence; before, she had been able to overlook everything he had done to her, telling herself _he wasn't the enemy._ He had even helped her, and the firebending had most likely made him ill.

She tried to hate him again.

She couldn't.

_I don't think you're a bad person, _she thought. _You've just had a bad past._

Katara's gaze fell upon the scar, and she looked away quickly, bending the water away from his forehead. Most of it was gone; his fever had evaporated the liquid. She bent more into her hand, but not before laying her palm against his brow. She was shocked. The skin burned, much hotter than it had when he had first fainted. Katara knew that she would have to break the fever soon, or Zuko would most certainly die.

She drove all thoughts of the past from her mind- they weren't important right now.

_What do I do? _she thought frantically, bending the water onto Zuko's forehead again, slightly panicked. She took a deep breath. _Now's not he time to panic. Think. What did Mom use to do whenever Sokka had a fever?_

He'd just sweat it out. _But Sokka had never had a fever like this one!_

If only she had a pool of water, or some cold tea… she had tried getting Zuko to drink water earlier, but he had just coughed it back up.

_Force it down._

Katara saw no other option. She slid her arm behind his back, lifting him up as much as she could. _If only he was conscious, _she thought, gritting her teeth. _This would be so much easier!_

She bent the water into his mouth, 'pulling' it down into his throat. The fire bender sputtered, causing half the water in his mouth to spill upon his brown shirt. Katara froze, about to just let him spit the rest out, before forcing it down again. Finally, Zuko swallowed by himself and Katara gave a sigh of relief. She couldn't help but notice that his eyes were moving beneath their lids- a sure sign of a nightmare- and she wondered what was going on inside his head. She also began to suspect that the illness wasn't just because of the loss of energy either…

The waterbender placed her hand against his forehead once more, and then his cheeks. She hadn't expected the water to do anything, and it hadn't.

_You shouldn't be the one who's sick,_ she thought almost angrily. _You've only been here a couple of days. I've been here a couple months! _It was a silly thought and she knew it. Besides, even if she was the one who was sick, who knew if he could even take _care_ of her. She couldn't imagine that he wouldn't _try _at least.

If only there was a way to heal the past… He could use that… she could too…

Maybe if she tried what she had done with Jet that one time, when she had made him remember what had happened beneath Lake Laogai…

_But Zuko wouldn't want to remember, he'd want to forget, wouldn't he?_

Maybe if he faced his problems, the nightmares would go away, and then the fever would too…

_Maybe the fever will go away in a little while by itself…_

If it was going to, it would have already!

Katara lowered Zuko down, resting his head as gently as possible against the stone floor. She bent what was remaining of the water into each hand before leaning over him, placing her palms over his ears. She focused her healing chi into her hands. Soon, the water began to glow, and after a minute or so, she pulled her hands away.

The firebender's gold eyes flickered a moment before closing again.

Now all she had to do was wait.

* * *

_Katara knelt besides the Water Tribe man, her small leather bag of oasis water clutched tightly in one gloved hand. The man's face was burnt badly, red blisters blossoming across his golden skin. His breathing was shallow, and she could barely see the misty white puffs when he exhaled. _

_The air was full of smoke. It burned her eyes until they were red, and she had to squint to see anywhere. Even though the Fire Nation had taken most of the Tribe, they still barraged the place with fireballs until everything was either smoldering lumps of ash or melted._

_Someone tapped her shoulder, and Katara turned around to see Chief Arnook. His brown, wrinkled face was creased with worry. A long, jagged cut went down his right cheek. In his hands was a whale-tooth spear._

_"Chief Arnook, you're bleeding!" Katara cried. She thought her voice sounded different, more high-pitched. "I'll heal you after I heal Qin, just wait…"_

_"No." The man shook his head, and Katara caught the look of urgency in his eyes. "Lua, you must get all the wounded to the oasis. Pakku and the others will hold the firebenders off, but you must hurry."_

_"Chief Arnook, I…"_

_"Lua, go!"_

Katara awoke with a start, her breath coming out in harsh pants, her eyes wide as she thought about her dream. Usually she didn't remember her dreams, but this one was still fresh in her mind. It had seemed so real…

_That's stupid, _she thought. _It was just a dream… it's not like I've been in the Northern Tribe recently…_

Maybe it had been the future…? No, if she escaped, she wouldn't go to the North Pole. She would go home to the Southern Tribe. She would spend as much time with her family as possible. _If they're still there… of course they are! The Fire Nation wouldn't think a tiny village in the South Pole was a threat… would they?_

Suddenly, Katara remembered that Zuko was sick. She twisted around to check on him, berating herself silently for falling asleep while he had a dangerous fever, only to find the firebender wide awake and sitting up, his arms wrapped around his legs and his chin resting against his knees. He was staring at the door.

"Zuko…?" She said his name tentatively, as if expecting him to lash out at her at any moment. "How are you feeling?" She waited for him to yell at her, to tell her that he hadn't needed _help._ It never came.

"I'm still a little weak," he admitted. His gaze never left the cell's door.

Katara couldn't help the surprise she felt. Zuko admitting that he felt _weak?_ What had happened to him? Maybe it had been those nightmares…

"I see that you broke the hinge," he said, nodding towards the jagged chunks of metal that littered the floor near the door.

"Uh, yeah… I did." In her concern for Zuko's well-being, she had forgotten that she had broken the hinge yesterday. She felt her excitement returning- Zuko was well now, and when the guards brought the water tomorrow, they could break the second hinge! Of course, only if he was feeling well enough… she didn't want to risk exerting him and weakening him even more. The waterbender thanked her brother silently for telling her how to weaken metal- she had never thought that she would actually use that information in the future!

_Everything was going to be all right._

Zuko couldn't help the feeling of _respect _that he had for Katara. She had healed him, even though he had been so nasty to her the first time she had tried to help him. He didn't know whether or not that was a weakness- in the Fire Nation, it would have been considered so, but here… Was respect really such a bad thing? She deserved it, didn't she? Especially after what she had done…

He actually had no idea what she _had _done, only that some time while he was asleep, there was this blessed coolness and then he had felt better… It was like she had unblocked his mind, and everything was running smoothly, like a river.

She deserved some gratitude. And as if to contradict the negative thoughts in his head, he thought _that would be the _honorable _thing to do._

"Thank you."

Katara's jaw dropped. Of all the things she had expected from him, a 'thank you' was not one of them. She composed herself quickly, replying quietly, "You're welcome." The silence that followed was unbearable. Zuko continued to stare at the door, while Katara crossed her arms, looking around at everything except _him_. Both of them seemed to be waiting for the other to say something. Finally, Katara broke the silence.

"You know, I don't think your sickness was just because of the bending," she said. "You were having a lot of nightmares."

Zuko turned around to look at her, his eyes widening. Actually, Katara noticed that only his right eye widened while his left one stayed the same. However, when he blinked they both moved together.

"You knew that?" he questioned.

"It was pretty obvious…" There was another awkward silence, and then: "You know, if you talk about what's bothering you, it'll help the nightmares go away. At least, it did for me," Katara added softly.

Zuko looked away. He knew that she already knew some things about his past- his mother, for example- and he had always been able to open up to her. For some strange, unknown reason, he had always opened up to Katara, even when they had been enemies.

_"You are not alone in this world."_

Had that been what his mother had meant in his dream? He wasn't alone because of Katara? It made sense… there really was no one left here, at least no one that _cared._

She cared.

Now that he realized it, Katara was just like his mother and uncle had been. Caring and selfless. Even when he was a complete jerk, his uncle still stuck by his side. After he had betrayed him, Iroh still hadn't given up on his nephew. He had given him a chance to redeem himself after they had escaped Ba Sing Se and Azula. He had trusted him.

Zuko moved around to face Katara, who was staring at his face hesitantly. He opened his mouth to speak…

They hadn't heard the footsteps coming towards their cell until they were right outside it. Suddenly, there was an angry scraping sound as the door slid open on it's hinges. Katara squinted her eyes against the bright torch light that flooded the room, too stunned to move. Zuko was immediately on his feet, and despite his weakened condition, he had his fists raised, ready to fight.

Someone stepped into the cell, and at first, all the both of them could see was the person's silhouette. But that was all they needed to know who it was.

Azula.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Whenever I get a new one, it really makes my day. Also, thanks to everyone who reads.

I've finally realized why I keep getting writer's block! It's because not much has happened yet... that should change. Katara's weird little dream _does _have a meaning, only there's one little thing... it'll probably be discovered in the sequel. Normally I wouldn't say anything about a sequel until the final chapter, but... certain circumstances call for certain measures, and I need your opinion on something... You see, the sequel is a completely different arc, and I don't know how to write it. There's two options:

a. I can write a completely different story under a completely different title.

b. I can just continue under the name 'Prisoners'.

I'm pretty sure I've decided what to do (along with some insight from LOVE4ZUTARA :D), but I'd like your opinion! OK, I'm done...

Please review! XD


	6. Sacrifice

Chapter Six

Sacrifice

"Hello, brother."

Princess Azula of the Fire Nation stepped into the cell, the metal points of her shoes clicking against the stone floor. She glanced around appraisingly. Her brother didn't appear to have suffered too much from his short imprisonment, much to her disappointment. The water bender, on the other hand, was nothing but skin and bones, her eyes sunk into her head, her face dirty and streaked with filth. The princess wrinkled her nose in disgust. The small cell smelled _horrible._ She didn't want to stay any longer than necessary.

"Father has finally decided what's to be done with you, Zu-zu," Azula said, her voice cold. She smirked at the look of burning hatred on her brother's face. "Really, I'm amazed it took him so long…"

Zuko tried to control the rage building inside him. He dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands, trying to keep from doing something really stupid. He wanted nothing more than to slam his fist into her jaw, but what little bit of reasoning he did have left told him that there was no chance of beating Azula or getting past the four fire bending soldiers that had filed in behind her. There would be no escape. He and Katara would be burnt to a crisp before they could even move.

But it was so _hard _to keep from doing anything! She was toying with him. Tormenting him like a predator does before they kill their prey. Like she had done before she betrayed him in Ba Sing Se.

He should have expected it. There had always been this feeling in the pit of his stomach He had _known_ that one day she would do it. Yet he had done nothing. He had simply waited for the betrayal to happen. He had went through those final days in a daze, drinking in her lies and feeling like an idiot for doing so. He had barely gotten himself and his uncle out of the Earth Kingdom capitol alive after it happened.

And it didn't even matter. He was still going to die.

Katara kneeled besides the banished prince's legs, so close that she could feel them trembling. From what? Weakness? Or was he trying to keep from attacking his sister? Probably both. The water bender took a deep breath, trying to keep from crying. She had thought that Azula was here for her, that the Water Tribes had finally fallen, but no. She was here for him.

Katara had been so full of hope. She had actually believed that they could escape, that she might be able to see her family again… But if Zuko died, it would never happen. If he died, she died too.

Anger burst through her like a wildfire. Azula had ruined everything! It was her fault that Aang hadn't been able to go into the Avatar State, her fault that they were in here, her fault that Zuko was going to die! She couldn't let it happen… she just couldn't…

Frantic thoughts swarmed through the water bender's head. _Yes, he was once my enemy… but we both hate Azula, and that unites us. And if I'm going to die here, I'm going to do something important before I do! Maybe that's what the spirits meant for me…_

Katara crouched down, gathering all the strength she had left.

Azula didn't even notice the water bender as she leapt towards her until it was too late. Katara crashed into her legs, squeezing her eyes shut as something sharp cut into her chin. The princess gave an involuntary shriek as she fell forward, her gold eyes like orbs, her arms flailing.

"Zuko, run!" Katara yelled. Her heart was pounding quickly, and a part of her still couldn't believe that she had actually tackled the princess of the Fire Nation.

Those guards were right. She had gone insane.

The soldiers that had entered the cell with Azula did exactly what Katara had thought they would- they rushed to their princess' aid, leaving the cell door wide open.

"Run, Zuko! Escape!" Katara yelled again, glaring back at him. He stared at her for one long second, a mixture of emotions- mainly shock (he didn't believe that she had tackled his sister either)- sweeping over his face. He didn't want to run away- it wasn't in his nature- but freedom was so _close_…

"Run, you idiot!"

Zuko tore out of the cell.

* * *

There were no guards outside the cell. Zuko ran as fast as he could down the dimly lit corridor, his breath coming out in harsh pants, a sharp pain stabbing into his side. He was so _tired_- he really shouldn't be running like this, especially since he had just gotten over his fever- but panic gave him strength. It gave him _flight._

He paused for a moment after he had reached the end of the hallway to rest briefly. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead and his chest rose and fell sharply. Everything seemed to be _spinning._ The distant wall torches, the dark gray stone walls, everything. He fought back the darkness- he couldn't faint now, he _couldn't_- before looking down the two corridors that had split from the main hallway. He knew that the left one led to the exit, while the right one continued into the labyrinth of endless underground tunnels and corridors. The prison had been built during a time when fire benders had gotten along with earth benders and was even rumored to stretch far beneath the Royal Palace and the Fire capitol, Kaza.

If he went left, he would be free. If he went right, he would still be imprisoned. Zuko turned, about to head down the left corridor, but a thought kept tugging at his mind.

_The water bender sacrificed herself so I could live. I can't just leave her… can I?_

Zuko froze, torn between two decisions. He could go down the left path and reach his freedom, or he could go down the right path and hide so he could rescue the water bender, and probably risk his life and freedom in doing so.

It wasn't like he cared for her or anything… it was just… she had given herself up to save him, even though they had been enemies. He had to at least _try_ to save her. He would never be able to live with himself if he didn't..

But what if she wasn't alive? What if Azula had killed her? They weren't able to escape before; who said they would be able to escape now?

What if there was no hope at all?

_In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself._

Iroh's proverb rose unbidden into his mind, bringing forth a rush of memories. If only his uncle was here now… he would know what to do.

_But he'd let me decide, _Zuko realized. _He always did. _

The banished prince of the Fire Nation cast one long look towards freedom before turning and running into the dark abyss that was the right corridor.

* * *

_­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_

"After my brother!" Princess Azula snapped.

The four soldiers stumbled clumsily out of the cell, knowing perfectly well that if they did not catch the Prince they would have to deal with the Princess' wrath. However, that was nothing compared to what they would go through had they let anything happen to the Fire Lord's only remaining child.

Azula pushed the Water Tribe girl off of her, dealing her a quick blow to the ribcage. The princess was on her feet immediately, her hands raised in a fire bending position. She intended to kill the girl right then and there- no one humiliated her like that and lived!- but she calmed down, telling herself that there would be another time for that.

Katara lay on the floor clutching her ribs, glaring up at the Princess with a look of hatred similar to Zuko's, dark drops of blood rolling down her chin and dropping upon the floor. Dark brown hair fell in matted waves about her face, and her bright blue eyes were clouded and full of pain.

Azula's cool gaze fell upon her "My brother's not coming back for you. You sacrificed yourself for nothing."

She was about to leave when Katara's voice rang out from behind her.

"I don't care if he doesn't come back, as long as he gets away from you!"

A small smile crept across Azula's face. "Even if he _does_ manage to make it outside, he'll never escape the prison walls. Oh, and I forgot to tell you. It's only a matter of time before the Water Tribes fall."

The door slid shut with a screech, and Katara was once again left alone in the dark.

* * *

_Uncle, I hope you're proud of me…_

Zuko didn't know how far he had gone. The walls were all the same drab stone, the halls led into darkness. There weren't any torches lighting the way any longer; it was pitch black, and Zuko didn't dare firebend so he could see. After stumbling around in the dark for what seemed like an eternity, he finally slumped to the ground and closed his eyes.

_How am I ever going to find my way back? _he thought. He doubted anyone could find him now. He sighed, shifting into a more comfortable position. Why had the water bender saved him? he wondered. He had never done anything for her. She's probably dead for what she did…

Suddenly, he heard a sound that made his heart nearly stop.

Footsteps.

Zuko pressed himself against the wall. He could hear the sound of his own heart beating in his ears, and his breath quickened. The footsteps grew closer and closer, echoing through the empty halls. _Please don't find me…_ As soon as they had came, however, they disappeared. The footsteps faded away as whoever the person was left.

Zuko breathed a sigh of relief. Now all he had to do was think of a way to rescue the water bender…

* * *

Azula pressed her hand to a hole in the wall, bending a burst of fire into it. A large metal door slid open, revealing the stone steps leading out of the prison. She climbed them steadily, her hands clenched into fists, her forehead wrinkled into a frown. How could her brother have escaped? She had not come all the way from Ba Sing Se to have her brother escape! 

As she neared the top of the staircase, the falling rain from the storm outside did nothing to improve her mood. _Stupid water bender…_ she thought as she sloshed through the dark puddles accumulating on the ground. The princess pushed damp hair out of her face as she looked up at the tower that was built in the center of the prison grounds. It was built entirely of the same dark stone as the cells, as well as the great walls that encircled the grounds.

"P-princess?" a soldier stammered as he approached her. "We were unable to find the prince outside of the walls."

"Did anyone see him?" she snapped.

"No, your highness. We talked to all of the wall guards. No one came out of the Lower Prison, except for the soldiers that accompanied you to the cell."

Azula folded her hands behind her back, a look of concentration upon her face. He didn't leave the cell… but she had went through most of the prison searching for him (the princess hadn't liked the idea of walking around in the dark where she could be ambushed). Did that mean he was still down there? Was he actually going to try to free the Water Tribe girl?

"Bring me the guards that came with me to the cell. I have a task for them," Azula said to the soldier.

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­The four unfortunate soldiers that had accompanied Azula to her brother's cell knelt before her, visibly trembling in their armor. She paced slowly back and forth before them, her eyes mere slits, her voice ringing in disappointment. 

"You have failed to capture my brother, and therefore must be punished. Until he is recaptured again, you must guard his cell all day and all night, without food or water." She slipped a ring of keys around her wrist. They jingled softly. "If there are any disturbances, one of you will report to me immediately. Dismissed."

The soldiers rose slowly, all of them glad for the white face masks they wore. If the princess saw the looks of disgust on their faces, she would surely charge them with treason or something like that. How could she blame them for failing to capture her brother when she had failed too? They weren't the ones who had let her get tackled by the crazy water bender… apparently, the princess wasn't as great as she thought, if a weak Water girl had taken her down!

They began to make their way down the stairs into the Lower Prison.

* * *

Katara lay on the floor, staring up at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes. It was so cold, just like before. She missed the heat. It had given her life, it had made her feel… normal. Now that it was gone, she would lose herself again. She would waste away… 

_At least Zuko's free. At least Azula doesn't have him. _The thought comforted her. Even though she was in prison, Katara had managed to strike one last blow at the fire bending princess. She had helped Azula's brother escape.

She wondered for a moment where Zuko was. Maybe he was in a forest, and the moon and stars were shining down, and the last rays of sunlight were stretching over the trees. She wished that she could see the bright glow of the moon beams one more time, and feel the warmth of the sun on her skin. If she were free, she would jump into the river and bend the water all around her and just sink below the surface for a moment and become one with her element. And when she resurfaced, Aang would be there and he would laugh at her as she shook the water from her hair, and his gray eyes would smile and they'd be happy…

Tears flowed freely down the water bender's cheeks as she stared up at the stone She gingerly touched her ribs- they were bruising- before reaching up to feel the cut on her chin. She supposed that the point of Azula's shoes must have caught her there, and the bruises were from the soldiers. She winced, remembering how they had kicked her in their attempts to 'save' their princess.

_Well_, Katara reasoned. _Things could be worse. They could have firebent._

* * *

One of the things Zuko had really missed after his mother had disappeared was reading 'The Legend of the Golden Dragon' with her. She had always been so enthusiastic, often using different voices for different characters. She usually showed the most enthusiasm when they got to her favorite part. 

"Oh, Zuko, I love this line!" she would say. " 'Can it be that fate weaves such a tangled web? Or is it just woven so intricately that it takes forever to unravel?' Do you know what it means, Zuko?"

He would always reply 'no', even though she had asked the question and explained the answer many times before.

"It has to do with destiny… Let's say that you are on a path, and many paths split off of it. These are your choices. Each choice seems to take you farther away from your destiny, while it will really lead to your destiny eventually, no matter how off course you seem to go. Do you understand, my love?"

And he would always lie and say that he did.

Well, now he was beginning to understand, and he was hoping that this was one of those moments. Sure, they hadn't been able to escape while using Katara's plan, but maybe they could escape a different way. Maybe that was the way destiny intended it to be.

He crept silently down the corridor, staying to the shadows and stepping lightly so he didn't make a sound. Zuko had almost immediately found himself settling into the mindset of the Blue Spirit, and for the first time in a long time he was glad. He rested for a moment at the corner of two intersecting hallways, crouched in the darkness and blending in so well that it was hard to tell which was him and which was stone. His gold eyes flickered towards the torches down the corridor. He was almost there!

Suddenly he heard the murmuring of voices. They were floating down the hallway from the corridor where Katara's cell was. There were guards? he wondered. Azula had soldiers guarding the cell? How could she have known that he was going to try and free Katara? What if Azula herself was guarding the cell?

Zuko doubted it. Azula would never lower herself to the duties of a mere guard. _But what do I do about them?_ he wondered.

* * *

Honj, one of the soldiers assigned to guard the cell, slumped against the door. He removed his white porcelain face mask, turning it over and over again in his hands. He sighed in boredom. 

"This is so stupid!" he complained. "The Princess doesn't even think Zuko'll come back! Why do we even have to guard this dump?"

"The Princess _knows_ the Prince won't come back. She's sentenced us to death, that's what she's done!" another soldier said.

"Zuko's long gone," a third added.

"Besides," Honj snickered. "I think the crazy Water girl's dead. Hey, Water Girl, are you alive!?!" he called in mocking tones. His companions broke out in raucous laughter.

"I think you're right, Honj-y," one chuckled. "She's dead, alright!"

"It sure smells like she's dead."

"Besides," Honj continued. "I could be of better use then guarding crazy dead girls. I could be… catchin' fugitives!" He took out a piece of paper that was slipped into his belt and unfolded it. The other three soldiers grouped around him, pushing each other out of the way for a better look.

" 'The Twins of Si Wong'," one read slowly.

"They ain't nothing' but kids!" another said. "We could catch 'em easy!"

"I don't know… the Avatar was a kid, and this'n here's an earth bender…"

Honj snorted. "Yeah, the Avatar was a kid, and Fire Lord Ozai killed him _easily_. Tells ya just how pathetic the Earth Kingdom was, sending little kids to do their dirty work!"

"I don't know… Princess Azula's just a kid, and she could kick your butt in an Agni Kai, Honj-y…"

"Yeah, you were shaking like a leaf when she was yelling at us earlier…"

"So were you three!" Honj told them, kicking the man who had just spoken in the knee. "I'm not staying here any longer and being _ostracized _by you three!"

"Go take a walk, then," one giggled.

"Yeah, go patrol the northern corridor…"

"Ooh, he knows big fancy words. _Ostacrized!"_

"It's ostracized, you stupid oaf! And I _will_ go patrol the northern corridor, and I'll catch the Prince single-handedly!" Honj spat at them. He turned, sliding his face mask back into place, before making his way down the corridor, mumbling curses under his breath.

He made it to the end of the hallway, stopping at the intersection to peer down the dark right corridor. It loomed before him, pitch blackness stretching on for what seemed like miles. He gulped, taking a deep breath. Well… this was the northern corridor. He couldn't turn back now and embarrass himself in front of the others, but he was really starting to wish that he hadn't agreed to patrol this hallway.

"There's nothing down here," Honj told himself, trying to put up a brave façade. "No one's down here."

He bent a little bit of fire in the palm of his hand. The golden light flickered brightly in the dark hall, but only managed to make the hall more forbidding by the shadows cast on the walls and floors. Honj took a few hesitate steps down the hall before pausing. He strained his ears, trying to pick up any trace of a sound, but there was nothing. It was completely silent.

"Ha!" he said aloud. "There's nothing down here! I'll just make my rounds and be done with it…"

He strode purposely down the corridor, the shadows leaping on and off the wall. The air was musty and thick, and Honj could imagine that there was something watching him from the empty cells as he passed. His breath caught in his throat. A cold panic seized him. There couldn't be… _ghosts_ in here, could there? He took a few more steps, fear almost preventing him from going any further.

He stopped at a corner, peeking around it to see the smaller hallway leading from the northern corridor…

A fist slammed into the face mask, shattering it in half. Honj fell to the ground, his head hitting the stone hard. Prince Zuko stood in a fighting position, his fist pulled back, ready for another hit, before he realized that the soldier was unconscious. He stared at the blood stained face mask in disgust for a moment, figuring that he must have broken the man's nose and wondering how anyone could be such an idiot. The man obviously didn't know anything about the art of stealth. How could someone be so careless, talking and letting their presence known while an escaped prisoner was on the loose?

It didn't matter. Zuko had a plan.

* * *

"Honj 'as been gone for a long time," one of the guards said nervously as he glanced up and down the corridor. "I think something got 'em!" 

Another guard rolled his eyes before remembering that his friend couldn't see his face. "I told you, the Prince is long gone!" he said. "There's nothing down here 'cept us. Honj is just playin' a joke."

Suddenly there was a burst of fire at the end of the corridor. The guards were instantly on the alert, one of them assuming a fighting stance, the other two peering down the hall, only to see someone stumbling towards them.

"Is that Honj?" the guard who had previously spoken asked.

"Yeah!" another exclaimed. "We 'ave to help him! He looks injured!"

They hurried down the hallway towards their fellow soldier. He was clutching his mask to his face, and as they neared they could see that something dark was splattered all over it. Honj finally collapsed to the ground. He managed to sit up, his arms trembling as he held his mask to his face.

One of the guards knelt besides him. "Wha' happened? Who did this to you?"

Honj's voice was muffled as he spoke. "The Prince…" he murmured.

"The Prince? He's here? Where?"

Honj took a labored breath before replying. "At the end of the corridor… where I just came from…"

The soldier kneeling besides him stood up, his face mask flashing in the torchlight. "We can catch him!" he said confidently. "Honj, you stay here. If the Prince comes, holler." _Maybe if we catch the Prince we'll be promoted! _he thought.

The injured man nodded.

"Are you sure we should leave him here alone?" one of the guards asked. "He sounds funny. He might die."

"The Prince probably kicked him in the neck or something. C'mon, let's go!"

They were about to leave, excited with the prospect of renewing themselves in the eyes of the Princess, when Honj said, "Let me hold on to the keys."

"The… keys?" one of the soldiers said slowly, his voice full of confusion. "But Princess Azula has the keys. Didn't you know that?"

"C'mon!" another guard interrupted, groaning with impatience. "We're gonna lose the Prince, let's _go!"_

The three soldiers took off down the hallway.

* * *

Zuko watched the soldiers leave with a mixture of emotions. He was amazed that they had fallen for his disguise, but he couldn't believe that Azula had the keys. After everything he had done, the risks he had taken to save Katara, he still wouldn't be able to. 

He rose slowly to his feet, his arms drooping to his sides. He clutched the two halves of the face mask in his hands, fresh blood seeping down his fingers from where the sharp edges of the porcelain had cut into his skin.

_How could I have been so stupid? _he thought. _Of course Azula would have the keys! She wouldn't leave them to some dim-witted guard! I never should of come back here… I should have escaped while I had the chance…_

Would defeat have been easier to accept if he had left before? He had tried to free her. That's what he had set out to do. There had been no guarantee that they would escape together.

Zuko seemed frozen. He tried to will himself to move, to do _anything,_ but he couldn't. He stared down the corridor with blank eyes, the light of the torches glowing on his face. He had to at least try. He was here, and he would make the best of it. _Maybe I can blast the door down…_

Finally his legs moved. The halves of the face mask clattered to the floor as he let them go. The sound echoed through the corridor, reminding Zuko of how silent it was. He immediately regretted dropping the mask. What if the guards heard him? _Won't they hear the fire blasts? _he realized. Zuko cast a long look down the corridor, expecting to hear the sounds of soldier's footsteps at any moment. He was running out of time and he still had no idea of what to do. What _could_ he do?

_I'll try blasting down the door and if it doesn't work, I'll leave. I just hope I have enough energy, _he thought, remembering the sickness from the day before. He still felt a little weak, but freedom seemed to have given him strength.

Zuko pulled back his fist, focusing his bending energy through his arm and hand, feeling the chi flowing through his veins. He gritted his teeth as he punched forward, pushing the fire towards the center of the door.

* * *

Katara stared up at the ceiling, her eyelids drooping. She folded her arms behind her head, trying not to sleep but wanting to at the same time. She was so tired, and her body hurt so much. Each breath she took only reminded her of her suffering, and for the first time in a long time, she welcomed the darkness as it came. Her eyes slowly closed. 

_"I don't think the wall will last forever, Lua," a woman in a purple parka told her._

_Katara was kneeling by the oasis. She ran one finger along the top of the water, bending her hand as a thin stream of liquid curled around her fingers. She bent it into a watertight pouch that hung around her belt._

_"I believe the spirits will save us," she said. A feeling of safety washed over her. "I had a dream today…"_

_The woman sitting besides her rolled her eyes and pushed back the hood of her parka, revealing her round tan face and narrow slanted blue eyes. "You and your dreams. If the spirits were really going to help us, they would have came to Earth in the form of something that could walk so we wouldn't have to protect them." She sighed. "I wish the Avatar were here."_

_For some reason, Katara smiled at this. "The Avatar _is _here."_

The waterbender awoke as abruptly as she had fallen asleep. She sat up, her body trembling and drenched in cold sweat. She had dreamt about the North Pole once again, and this dream had seemed as vividly real as the last one. Katara wasn't sure what to think. Did the dreams mean something?

_I had said that the Avatar was here, _she thought. _But Aang's gone… _A sudden idea struck her. _Maybe my dreams are memories of a past life! But do normal people get reincarnated like Avatars? And besides, Chief Arnook was in my first dream…_

Suddenly there was an explosion from outside the cell door. Katara screamed, scrambling to the far back of the cell and huddling by the wall, staring at the door with wide eyes.

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_I am an idiot _was the first thought that went through Zuko's mind after he heard the water bender scream. Why hadn't he thought of _checking _to see if she was sitting by the door before he started barraging it with fire blasts? He had probably burnt her! _Besides,_ he thought, sighing with defeat, _it's not working. It hadn't worked while I was inside the cell, and it's not going to work from outside it._

He bowed his head, knowing that there was no hope now. He had tried everything he could think of, and there was no way of getting the keys from Azula or knocking the door down. _It's not like Uncle's in there…_he thought. If Iroh had been impriosned, he _might _have risked his life by trying to steal the keys from Azula.

But to risk his life for the waterbender? The very same waterbender who had done nothing but try to keep him from capturing the Avatar and regaining his honor? His throne? She had stood in his way too many times, spoiled his plans way too often… But she _had_ saved his life, and she wasn't the one who had imprisoned him in here. And besides, Katara _cared. _

He took a deep breath before slumping down against the cell door and taking off his helmet. He rested his head against the sooty metal, his dark hair curtaining his face, and closed his eyes. Maybe he had missed something… There might still be hope, even though that seemed impossible… _It's so strange, _he thought. _The only thing separating her from imprisonment and freedom is as simple as a door._

"Who's out there?" a voice called tentatively from the cell.

Zuko opened his eyes and turned his head a little to the side. Maybe he shouldn't say anything… he shouldn't get her hopes up…

"I know you're there!" The voice sounded annoyed now. "I can see your shadow in front of the food opening."

"Katara…" he said her name slowly. It was almost like saying a foreign word. "It's me.".

There was a long pause before the water bender responded.

"Aang?" she said, confusion sounding in her voice.

Now it was _his _turn to be annoyed. How could she think that he sounded like the _Avatar?_ The Avatar was dead! "No!" he snapped, his voice laced with irritation. "It's me, Zuko."

There was a shuffling sound from inside the cell. "Sorry," Katara said ruefully. Her voice was closer now. She was sitting on the other side of the door. "It's just… I've never heard you say my name before. I thought you were gone."

"I… Azula has the keys," Zuko said. He had started to tell her that he had tried to save her, but found himself unable to. He just couldn't admit defeat. At least, not out loud.

There was silence from the other side of the door. Zuko could only imagine what was going through the waterbender's head. Did she feel betrayed that he was unable to help her? Or was she just accepting the inevitable fact that she was going to die? _She probably already has, _he thought.

_If Azula has the keys, there is no way I'm getting out of here… _Katara sighed before finally speaking. "Well… you should go." She paused before asking, "How did you get past the guards?"

"I tricked them," Zuko replied simply.

"Oh… they'll probably be back soon, won't they?"

"Probably."

Katara rested her head against the cool metal of the door. She closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. _You will never know how much this means to me, _she thought to Zuko. He had come back for her. It meant that he had accepted the fact that they weren't enemies too.

"Why did you come back?" she asked.

Zuko was silent for a moment before answering. "I was bound by honor."

Katara groaned. It was always _honor_, wasn't it? She supposed that it had been because she had saved his life. He felt that he needed to return the favor. _At least he came back…_

"You need to go now," the waterbender said "Before the guards return. I don't want someone else to die because of me."

Zuko felt a strong urge to tell her that it had been the Avatar's own stupid fault that he had died, but he knew that she was right. The guards _would _probably be back at any moment, and he would need to leave while he had the chance. It just felt so… _wrong _to leave her to die. But there was nothing else he could do! She would just have to understand that… _he _would have to understand that…

The banished prince was about to stand up so he could leave when Katara cried, "Wait! I have something for you…"

* * *

Katara laid her hand on the silver pendant of her mother's necklace like she had so many times before. Whenever she had been sad or angry or confused, the necklace had given her strength. It had reminded her that even though her mother may be gone, she really wasn't and they would be reunited one day. 

Katara reached both hands behind her neck and unclasped the necklace. It felt strange not to feel the familiar weight of the jewelry around her neck, or the cool touch of the stone. Her vision was blurred as she laid down on her stomach to slip it through the food opening.

"Please… take this with you."

* * *

At first Zuko didn't know what the strange object was. He picked it up, realization dawning on him. It was her necklace, the very same one he had found on the rig so long ago… Why was she giving this to him? He had used it to bribe her… And hadn't she said that it was her mother's? Katara's mother was dead… 

"Why are you giving this to me?" he asked, his voice full of anger. "I don't want it. Take it back."

"No," Katara replied, the tones of her voice firm. "You have to understand. I don't want _them _to get it when I die. You're the only person in this entire place that knows how much that necklace means to me. Please… you have to take it. I don't care if you throw it in a river when you get out of here. As long as it's not in this prison, I'll be happy."

A long silence followed her tirade. Zuko sighed, clasping the necklace and slipping it around his wrist. Why was this so hard? The waterbender was _nothing _to him, yet leaving her here seemed impossible. He didn't want to accept his failure, but he had to. It would take a miracle to free her…

"I'll take it," he said finally.

"Thank you…" Katara's voice was a mix of a sob and a laugh. She regained her composure quickly, telling him, "Now you need to go.

"Good-bye."

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone for their reviews and their patience. You guys are awesome! 

Also, I would like to think my friend lightningbent101 for coming up with the title of the sequel, 'Fugitives'.


	7. The Hidden Passage

**Chapter Seven**

**The Hidden Passage**

Katara listened to Zuko's fading footsteps with a feeling of despair. She couldn't help the tears that streamed down her cheeks or the sobs that erupted from her throat. She leaned heavily against the metal door, hugging her legs to her body, her cheek pressed against the cold steel. The loneliness only made the pain she was feeling worse. She knew now that any hopes of escaping were gone. She would die in this cell, miserable and alone, wondering whether her family would ever learn of her fate.

It was then that she realized that she could barely remember what her family looked like. Her mother's face had been lost to her long ago. It was nothing but a pale blur, surrounded by darkness. Katara couldn't remember her mother's smile, or her eyes, which Katara knew were the same bright blue as her own. What had her mother's voice sounded like? Hakoda's face was clearer, but only just. Katara managed to create some picture of Gran Gran in her mind, of her bright grayish-blue eyes, her gray, thinning hair, the wrinkles criss-crossing her face, but even then she wasn't sure if it was really her grandmother or just a figment of her imagination.

And then there was Sokka. She remembered him. She _had _to remember him. It hadn't been that long since she'd last seen him, not really. His hair was cut in traditional Water Tribe fashion, his eyes were narrow and slightly slanted, and didn't his lip curl n that funny little way whenever he smiled? Her memory was unable to capture the realism of his face without constant reminder, however, and in a rare fit of rage, she slapped her hand against the metal door, sending a resounding slapping sound throughout the cell.

_I can't even remember what _I_ look like, _she thought angrily. _Zuko's face is the only one I can picture clearly, and after awhile he'll be gone too._

Katara raised her face up towards the ceiling. Even through the stone walls of the cell, she could feel the pull of the moon, and she begged silently.

_Please, spirits, don't let me die alone._

---

Zuko hurried down the hallway. Guilt weighed down upon him so much that he couldn't help but repeat excuses about why he couldn't save Katara over and over again. Eventually it became a repetitive cycle in his head.

_Azula has the keys… she's not important to me… I tried… Azula has the keys… I'm running out of time…_

He neared the intersection of two hallways. He knew that the left one led to the prison's exit, and he knew that the right one let into darkness. It had been the very one that he had hid in after escaping from Azula.

He was about to head down the left corridor when he saw a torch emerge from the stairs leading up to the prison grounds. Panic seized the prince for a moment and he froze on the spot before finally coming to his senses and retreating back into the dark corridor, cursing quietly to himself.

Zuko crouched low against the wall, hoping that the torch-bearing guard was heading in another direction. He needn't have worried, however, for the darkness hid him well, and very few people traveled in the right corridor, for it had been long abandoned. Now, it was only used when guards would dare each other to brave the dark, silent halls.

The guard came closer before turning down the hall where Katara's cell was located. His face glistened with sweat and tension hung thickly on the air as the man passed. Zuko was slightly confused about why the man was so nervous before remembering that the soldiers thought he was still in the prison.

Before too much time had passed, Zuko stood slowly, peeking around the corner to see if it would be safe enough to make his leave. It was then that he noticed that the guard was kneeling down outside Katara's cell. Then, to the Fire prince's horror, the man thrust the torch through the food opening. A piercing scream followed.

All reasoning left in the prince disappeared. What the man had done was terrible and cruel, and it was dishonorable. Zuko burst into the hallway, tearing down it as fast as he could manage. Forgetting his weakness for the moment, he sent an impressive column of fire towards the guard. The guard barely dodged it in time, dropping the torch and spinning around, lurching towards the prince and drawing a sword form its sheath as he moved.

Despite the weapon, Zuko continued towards the soldier, sending fire blast after fire blast towards him. Even though he had been in the cell for nearly a week, exhausted and malnourished, Zuko was still faster then the man, who was waving the sword around like a club. Being an accomplished swordsman himself, Zuko could tell that the man had no skill with the clumsy _da dao _blade whatsoever. He found himself observing the man's stumbling footwork, and it was here that he found a weakness.

Zuko pressed closer, driving the guard back against the wall with fire bending. The man, his eyes wide with desperation, stumbled forward, swinging the blade towards Zuko's head like a farmer with a scythe. Zuko ducked low, and with a swinging kick knocked the man's feet out from under him. Zuko dashed out of the way as the guard crashed to the floor, a jumbled heap of armor and body parts. His vision blurry, the guard blinked a few times to find Prince Zuko holding the sword to his throat. The tip of the blade tickled his chin.

"P-please don't kill me!" the soldier begged.

"Why not?" Zuko asked, his voice cold. "How could you _ever_ justify burning a helpless prisoner?" He pressed the sword harder against the man's throat.

"I-I'll give you the keys," the guard stuttered.

Zuko almost dropped the sword. "The keys?"

The guard almost nodded but stopped before he cut his own throat. "Yes…"

"The keys? To that cell?" Zuko gestured towards Katara's door.

"Yes. The p-princess… she wanted me to escort the water bender out of the prison."

Zuko felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The feeling was surreal. By losing his temper as he did, and by chasing a guard down to defend a girl he _didn't_ care about and had no chance of saving, he could have very well risked his freedom and his life. But no. He would be able to save Katara! He hadn't failed! Fate had changed for the better.

Unless, he realized with a sickening feeling, fate had nothing to do with it.

"Give me the keys," he said softly.

"Th-they're in the door. I had put them in the door when you'd attacked," the guard said.

His sword still to the man's throat, Zuko chanced a glance back to the door. Sure enough, there was a key in the keyhole. In a matter of minutes, Katara would be out of the cell for the first time in two long months.

"Take off your armor," Zuko snapped, waving the sword threateningly in the man's face. The guard wore a look of confusion, but when Zuko moved the word away, he did as he was told. The man was left wearing only a thin black shirt and pants.

"Now stand up…" Zuko commanded. "Unlock the door and go inside the cell. If you touch the girl, I'll kill you. Not that scum like you deserve to live," he added darkly.

The guard, realizing the fate Zuko intended for him- to be trapped in the cell- stood shakily, walking over to the cell door, his eyes never leaving Zuko's in case the prince changed his mind and decided to kill him anyways. His hands were trembling as he turned the key and stepped inside the cell.

Zuko followed warily, the sword always towards the man. Golden lights, both form lanterns on the wall outside the door and the glowing embers of the torch, which still lay, the flames dying, on the floor, spilled into the cell.

It was at this moment that Zuko got his first good look of Katara. She was sitting on the floor slouched over, her hands pulling the burnt fibers of her tunic from the red burn that blossomed on her right thigh. A low cry escaped her lips, and even when she looked up at him, she made no attempt to move. Greasy, matted brown hair fell limply about her face onto thin shoulders. Dark shadows circled her eyes, and tears cut lines through the dirt on her face. There was dry blood crusted on her chin. Once, her tunic had fit tightly on her body, accentuating her curves and the muscles in her shoulders and legs. Now, her threadbare clothes fell loosely from boney limbs, appearing to have been made many sizes too large.

It was a horrible image, but Zuko managed to look past it. She would be fine after she was clean and fed, and they were out of here…

"Katara, we have to leave now," Zuko told her. "You're free now, we can go."

Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks, and a slow smile spread across her face. "You saved me."

"I know, but we have to go," Zuko said urgently. He extended his hand out towards her. Katara took it, her bony fingers intertwining with his, and he pulled her up gently as if she were made of glass.

Zuko turned away, unable to look at her any longer. It was so hard to believe that Katara, who in the dark had seemed so strong, was really so weak. _That could have been me_, he thought. Zuko remembered how he had often complained while traveling with Uncle Iroh in the Earth Kingdom. It had always been about something, like how they didn't have enough food, of how the bedding was insufficient, or how they were always dirty. At least they had had food and bedding. For two months, Katara, this girl who he had thought for so long as a stupid, peace-loving weakling, had survived on stale bread and water, a stone floor, and a little bit of hope.

Zuko and Katara stepped out of the cell. The prince turned, closing the cell door and locking it. He slipped the sword through his belt. When he turned around, the water bender was positively _beaming_ at him.

Katara was in a state of euphoria. She was free! She wouldn't die… she would be able to see her family again… During her time in the cell, she had nearly given up any thoughts of her future. She was supposed to die anyways; there hadn't been any need for dreams and hope before Zuko had came. But now, her mind sprang forward, a burst of color as she thought of all the things she could still do. The dreams of the northern Water Tribe surfaced in her memory, and she was beginning to think that they weren't mere coincidence. There had to be a reason for them, perhaps a message from the spirits, a plea for help…

"I'm sorry I called you Aang before," she said. "I-I thought I was dreaming." She smiled, and there were tears in her eyes. "Isn't it amazing how our luck has changed like this?"

Zuko frowned, walking past her and collecting the pieces of armor off the floor. "Doesn't this seem a little suspicious to you?" he asked her. "Azula is too smart to let a guard come and free you while I'm in the prison."

Katara clenched her fists in frustration, her happiness gone for the moment as she remembered that they weren't free yet. "It's a trap," she said. "What are we going to do?"

"First, you're going to put this armor on," Zuko told her, holding the armor out towards her. Katara stared at him, biting her lip. Zuko raised his eyebrow. "Well?"

"I don't think I'm… strong enough, Zuko," Katara said, her voice calm despite their predicament. "That soldier burnt me pretty badly, and I'm not sure if I can… walk because of it," she finished with an exhale of breath, as if she didn't want to admit her weakness.

"You have to try. You only have to wear the armor until we get outside of the walls," the fire bender said. "Then you can take it off."

Katara hesitated before taking a piece of armor. Since she wasn't sure how to wear Fire Nation armor, Zuko instructed her verbally where each piece was worn before finally helping her put on the bulky shoulder plates.

Katara nearly collapsed under the weight. The armor was much lighter then she'd expected, but to her it was still terribly heavy. She put on the helmet, held out her arms and said, "How do I look?"

"Better," Zuko muttered, and she wasn't sure if that was an insult or a compliment. Not that she cared.

"So…" Katara began, "what if we can't make it past the walls? What if Azula stops us? I don't have any water to fight with."

"Azula probably doesn't think that I figured out her plan," Zuko said as they both began to make their way down the hallway. "She's most likely waiting for us to leave through the main exit. We'll just have to find another one."

Katara was limping as she followed the prince's quick stride. Pain shot through her body, and there were a few moments when she felt dizzy, but she managed to keep up.

"What if there isn't another exit? Or what if it's hidden?" Katara asked. "I'd rather face Azula then get lost down here."

Zuko glared at her. "Neither of us are in a position to fight Azula."

"I know."

They soon made it to the two intersecting hallways. Zuko turned down the left one, thinking that there might be another exit close to the one that was normally used, but Katara had stopped and was staring down the right corridor.

"C'mon," Zuko said, grabbing her arm and pulling on it. "There's nothing down that hallway. It's empty."

"Wait," she said, shrugging him off. "I- I think we should go down this one…"

Zuko looked at her as if she were insane. "I've been down that hallway. There's nothing down there."

The water bender turned to look at him. "Yes, there is. I can feel it."

"You can _feel_ it?"

Katara looked away. "Yes. The moon, when it's full, pulls at me. It's telling me that there's an exit down here, somewhere close."

Zuko raised his eyebrow, a movement that made him look more surprised then disbelieving. "The moon is telling you…"

The water bender rolled her eyes. "Not like _that_," she snapped. "I can feel the moon because it gives me power, just like _you_ can feel the sun."

Turning around, Katara stomped haughtily into the right corridor. Groaning in exasperation of the stubborn girl, Zuko followed. He felt a bit angry. He had just saved her, and here she was calling all the shots! He was beginning to realize that she was one of those people that thought that everything they did was right, and if anyone disagreed, they were absolutely wrong.

Katara ran her fingers along the walls, trying to fell any depressions or grooves that might indicate a secret door. "Zuko, feel along the walls," she said. "There might be some kind of hidden door."

"We are wasting time," Zuko told her. "We need to get out of here before Azula gets bored and comes down here to find us!"

Katara ignored him. By now, she had been completely swallowed up by the darkness. Her hands brushed across the rough stone, lingering over cracks before moving on. Suddenly she came across a deep impression in the stone. Excitement coursed through her as she tried to get some idea of the shape. Soon, she realized that the strange hole was shaped like a flower.

"Zuko!" Katara called excitedly. "I found something! I think it's the door!" She kept pushing her hand into it, trying to figure out how to open the passage she knew was there.

It took Zuko a moment to find her in the darkness. "Where?"

"Over here…" The water bender took his hand and placed it over the flower-shaped hole, her fingers brushing over the prince's smooth, warm skin as she pulled her hand away.

"It _is_ a door," Zuko said. "I recognize these types of doors. They're made specially for fire bending…" He took a breath, sending a burst of fire into the hole as he exhaled. Katara jumped back in surprise as a wall of flame burst out from the floor. Soon the fire died down, leaving the outline of an elaborate doorway glowing orange and red on the wall. Along the four corners of the door were the symbols of the four elements, and in the center, a design of a lotus glowed brightest of all.

Katara stared at it in wonder. "This door is so amazing! Why would something like this be in a Fire Nation prison?"

Zuko, thinking that a discussion about a door while escaping from prison was completely stupid, ignored her and pushed against it. There was a hiss of smoke as the door sank back into the wall, moving sideways and revealing a stairway.

"This must lead up to the surface," he said.

The two prisoners began their ascent, climbing the sturdy stone steps steadily. Zuko had lit a fire in his hands so they could see. The light leapt upon the walls, revealing dusty stones and silver cobwebs. Rusty torch brackets hung from the walls, some still holding unused torches, their resin-dipped ends glistening in the firelight. Katara struggled to keep up. With each step, a fiery pain burst through her legs. Her head throbbed and her back ached, but she still continued on, keeping her mind off the pain by looking at the strange engravings on the walls, written in an ancient language she would never understand.

Soon they were at the top of the stairs. An old wooden ladder remained placed haphazardly against the wall, as if whoever had last used it had been in a hurry. The two benders stared up at the ceiling at the door that it led to, filled with apprehension about what they might face at the surface.

* * *

**A/N: **This was supposed to be much longer, but I decided I wanted to work on the rest of the chapter. Besides, it was kind of long. Hopefully I'll have it up really soon though!

Who's excited for 'The Day of Black Sun'? I can't wait, I'm so psyched! Oh yeah, and remember to...

REVIEW!


	8. The Tempest

**Chapter Eight**

**The Tempest**

Katara climbled up first. The rungs of the ladder bowed beneath her weight but held up. She reached the top, took a deep breath, and tried to push it open. A slab of stone had been laid over the door, but after a few moments the water bender managed to push it aside, only to be met by a slew of rainwater. Katara nearly let out a cry of excitement. She had to resist the urge to raise her face up to the glorious, life-giving water, for at that moment, Zuko barked out in an irritated voice, "Will you check to see if there's anyone up there?"

She looked around the grounds. They were barren. "There's no one, Zuko."

"No one?"

"No one."

Katara climbed out the rest of the way, followed soon by Zuko. Katara's heart leapt with joy, and she took a deep breath of the fresh, clean air for the first time in a long time. It was hard to believe that she hadn't been on the surface for nearly two months.

"C'mon," Zuko said to her, looking around suspiciously. He didn't feel comfortable being out in the open as they were.

To anyone who hadn't seen them crawl out of the secret exit, the pair appeared as two soldiers making their rounds. Despite their disguises, Zuko felt uneasy, looking about at the walls, the soldier's barracks, and the massive tower standing in the center of the grounds, expecting Azula to jump out at them at any moment.

Katara was staring down at the water puddles with longing. The burn on her thigh was incredibly painful, and each step only made it worst. If only she could heal it- better yet, her whole body- she would feel better, feel _whole_ for the first time in months.

There was a flash of lightning. It illuminated everything, the grounds, the stone walls, and the mountains surrounding the prison, their faces bathed in white light.

It was in this light that both prisoners noticed with horror the line of soldiers standing about the circumference of the grounds. They were like statues, part of the wall it seemed, and completely invisible in the dark, stormy night.

"Zuko-," Katara said softly, moving slightly toward him.

The banished prince wasn't surprised to discover the trap that they had just walked into- he had half expected it- but he had hoped that maybe, just _maybe_, things would go right for once…

"I can get us over the wall," Katara continued.

"What?"

"I can get us over the wall," she repeated. "With my water bending."

Zuko nodded, although Katara was too busy watching the soldiers to notice. _So there's the plan_, he thought. _We make it to the wall and we'll finally be free…_

"Really, Zuzu, did you seriously think you could outsmart me?" came a piercing, clear voice from behind them that not even the thunder could drown out.

Zuko paled, his face chalk-white. He turned about to face his sister, his eyes narrowing, his face set in a scowl. As if by an invisible signal, the soldiers around the wall began to come towards them.

As much as Katara hated to have any enemy at her back, especially when that enemy was Azula, she didn't turn to face her. The water bender bent her element into her hands and assumed a bending position, facing the oncoming soldiers. She did a quick head count, guessing that there were about twenty, maybe thirty of them. _And that's not counting Azula_, Katara thought grimly.

The princess was staring at her fingernails, a smirk crossing her face. The falling rain didn't even phase her.

Everything was turning out perfectly, as it always did. She had come home from Ba Sing Se to see her traitorous brother's execution, but now she would be the one doing the executing.

She looked up towards Zuko, the smirk disappearing from her face. "It's over, little brother."

Azula moved her arms in circular motions, preparing for her special style of lightning bending. Streams of white light trailed from her fingertips, casting shadows upon her face, making her wide, manic gold eyes seem to glow. She brought her hands close to her chest, and the light seemed to meld together, and suddenly, in one quick motion, a brilliant bold of bluish-white lightning erupted from her fingers. Everything was engulfed by white light and for a second Zuko was blinded as the bolt came towards him. He stepped back, knowing the technique he needed to use and preparing to use it, not a single thought crossing his mind. He acted on pure adrenaline, and as the lightning met him, he thrust his arm forward, creating a path of energy through his arm into his stomach and out again. It was the most surreal feeling, having that much raw power coursing through his body, struggling to be released. Yet he had controlled it!

_Thank you, Uncle,_ he thought.

Katara had turned upon hearing a sharp _crack!_ that she knew usually accompanied the bending of lightning. She did not know of Zuko's ability to redirect the lightning. She only saw it engulf him, taking over, burning and destroying.

It reminded her of Aang, of the bright red burn that had blossomed across his back after Azula's attack in the catacombs, of the way he had lain so lifelessly in her arms. She couldn't stop the attack then. She wouldn't be able to now.

"No!" Katara screamed, stumbling away as the lightning consumed Zuko. It sizzled through his body, crackling, destroying it seemed. There was nothing she cold do to save him. It was over.

Suddenly, to the water bender's amazement, the lighting streamed out of Zuko's arm, arching away from him. She had no idea what he had done, but here he was, safe and unharmed.

Azula's eyes narrowed. How could this be? How could her lightning, which had never failed her before, fail now? Why wasn't Zuko on the ground dead? And then the answer hit her.

_Uncle._

_It doesn't matter though, _she thought. _My lightning may not have the desired effect that I wanted, but I can easily outbend Zuko._

Before her brother had time to recover from his redirecting, Azula had covered most of the distance between them, sending a powerful column of blue flame towards him.

Zuko barely bent the fire away in time. The momentum of the blast was powerful, however, and sent him backwards into Katara, his arms flailing, his helmet flying off his head.

"You handle the guards!" he cried to Katara. "I'll take care of Azula."

"What? No! The wall-" she sputtered out, but Zuko had already taken off towards Azula. "_Idiot!"_ she growled, sending a large wave of water towards the soldiers. _What is he doing?! _she thought, dodging a fire blast. _I thought we had agreed that we weren't in the condition to fight Azula!?_

Zuko was caught up in the battle, filled with the false confidence. Without the threat of her lightning bending, Azula didn't seem as much of a threat. But the prince was at a disadvantage. Azula was more powerful, and he was weakened as it was, from the pouring rain and his imprisonment.

But Zuko wouldn't give up. He didn't want to risk turning his back on Azula and being killed. He was beginning to realize that this battle would determine his fate, his freedom. His life. If he and Katara didn't beat Azula and the soldiers, and did make it over the wall, it still wouldn't matter. They would be hunted down and killed.

Azula stood several feet away, a safe distance from which she could send her most powerful attacks. Her dark hair was plastered to her forehead, her armor gleaming with rainwater. Her bright gold eyes were piercing from her pale face, her lips curled into a cold smile.

"I'm going to give you an option, Zuzu," she said. "Give up now, and I'll make sure your death is quick and painless."

Zuko stared at her, his eyes burning with hatred, his fists clenched.

"Well?" Azula demanded. "What's your answer?"

"You want my answer?" Zuko roared. "I'll give you my answer!" He sent as powerful a fireblast as he could toward her, the read and orange tendrils reaching for her like fingers. Azula's eyes gleamed triumphantly. Her fool brother, so susceptible to her taunts. This attack would be his last!

She ran towards Zuko's attack, bending the fire to her sides. It provided perfect cover- she had reached him before he had even finished his attack. Azula dissipated his flames with some movements of her arms, her own blue fire, dangerously hot, trailing from her fingertips. She sent a blast right into his face.

Searing pain seemed to erupt from every pore, reminiscent and familiar. Zuko hit the ground hard, the smell of burning skin and hair permeating the air around him. It felt as if his eyelids had been melted together, as if her face had been blasted apart. When he breathed he tasted smoke. Worst of all, he was practically blind. His left eye, his scar, was destroyed. Through his right he could see dim light and shadows.

_I'm blinded,_ he realized, a cold panic seizing his body. _Azula's going to kill me, and I won't be able to do anything about it._

A cruel laugh erupted from Azula's throat. Finally, after all this waiting, all these years, she would put an end to her brother. She would destroy the weak, cleanse the royal blood of failures like Zuko and her uncle.

* * *

Katara was fighting for her life. She was in the octopus stance, arms of water swaying and moving about her. The soldiers had realized that she couldn't protect herself from all of them, not at once, and barraged her with fire blasts. She weaved in and out, moving her arms in liquid motions, but she was exhausted and in pain. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Fresh burns scarred her body.

Suddenly, as if by a miracle, a pocket in the clouds opened up. Through the dark, forbidding thunderstorm, streams of bright, luminescent moonlight fell upon the prison. Katar had felt the presence of the full moon all night, but only now, with its cool rays upon her, did it give her the strength she needed.

Her bright blue eyes gleaming, Katara began a ferocious bending technique. She pulled all the water she could towards her, twisting it around her until the outside world looked like a liquid, grayish-blue blur. She was in the center, safe like in the eye of the storm. She then bent the water in all directions, huge waves crashing down upon the soldiers, washing them away.

Katara turned to face Azula then, to aid Zuko in any way she could. To her horror, he was on the ground, the princess standing over him, giving the most evil, inhuman laugh Katara had ever heard. She quickly bent some water around her legs, bending a block of ice from which she could stand upon, propelling herself quickly forward.

_I can make it! _she told herself, but even the voice in her head sounded strained.

She couldn't delude herself. Azula was too far away. Katara would never reach her before it was too late.

* * *

From her laugh, Zuko knew where Azula stood. He also knew that when she struck, he would be dead. There was no denying it. He wanted to stand and run, but that would be cowardice.

A part of his brain thought he was insane. Worrying about being a coward when you're about to die? Outrageous!

But the other part refused to show Azula that satisfaction. He would not back down, not now. He would die facing the enemy.

Unless he could delay her…

Zuko tried to open his eyes. His left one seemed to be glued shut, but suddenly his right eyelid seemed to tear apart, and he saw a sliver of light. He tried to widen his eye to see but the burn seemed like a mask. He looked up at the sister, only to see the streams of light trailing from her fingertips.

He panicked. Zuko tried to punch forward, to send a blast of fire into her stomach, but his hand was sopping wet. Azula wore an amused expression upon her face as she finished the final motions.

It was both a mixture of desperation and instinct that caused Zuko to perform the act that saved his life. He wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the sword he had taken from the guard who had burnt Katara, forgotten in the belt until now. He moved faster than he ever had before, jumping to his feet, stabbing forward until the sharp blades plunged into something soft.

He barely saw the look of pain fleeting across Azula's pale white face, but he did hear the loud gasp that escaped her lips. The stream of lightning trailed almost lazily away from them, out of her control. Her lips were ruby red from the bright red blood trickling down her chin. The sword had punctured through a weak spot in her armor below her shoulder blade. Azula gazed at it with an almost astonished look upon her face, her eyes dimming as she crumpled to her knees and fell to the side.

"Zuko! Are you all right?"

Katara's voice came loudly from behind him. Zuko could hear the splash of footsteps as she came closer. Finally she was besides him, staring down at Azula's boy with an emotionless look upon her face.

She then turned towards Zuko, gasping when she saw the fresh burns and injuries on his face.

"You need healing," she said, bending a stream of water into her hands.

"What about the guards?" Zuko asked.

"Let's just say they've been _washed away_," she told him, and as she touched his face, her hands cool with the healing rainwater, Zuko couldn't help but smile.

Katara noticed, a small smile playing across her own lips. She knew why he was happy- it was the very same reason she was. After all the struggles they had went through, after all the hopelessness and despair, they had survived. They were free, and it was the most amazing feeling in the world.

"There," Katara said, looking over her handiwork. Azula had done quite a number on him, but luckily most of the burns were fresh and therefore healable.

Zuko looked down at his sister's body, and a feeling of horror went through him. _He _had done this. _He _had taken a life. He knew Azula would have killed him, but he had never planned to kill her.

_But it would have came down to that in the end, _he realized. _One of us would have had to kill the other._

It still sickened him. Katara saw the grim look on his face and placed a hand lightly on one arm.

"Come with me," she said. "This place is depressing."

Zuko cast one last look at his sister, at the blood-tinged pool of rainwater surrounding her body, at the way her arm drooped lifelessly over the sword blade. He could have sworn that for one second he saw her eyelids flutter, but that was impossible. The princess of the Fire Nation was dead.

And the prisoners were now the fugitives.

_The End._

* * *

**A/N: **Or is it?

'Prisoners' will be continued into 'Fugitives', which I hope to have up soon. When I post the first chapter of 'Fugitives', I will be posting a special chapter for 'Prisoners' that will be just Author's Notes . I will analyze some things, answer some of your questions, and give you a sneak peek of some of the things that you'll see in 'Fugitives'.

So.. if you have any questions about 'Prisoners', please tell me by Private Message or Review and I will answer them in this special chapter. Also, I would like constructive criticism for the whole story. Please tell me what you liked, what you hated, what you think I could improve on, or any other tidbit of information that you think would help! All I ask is that you don't flame me. If you thought the story was poorly written, please don't say, "OMG this story SUCKED!" I don't think I could deal with that! :D

Finally, I would like to think you all for reading this story. It gave me such great pleasure to know that other people out there (besides my family, who are glad that I'm not pushing my fanfics onto them any longer) were reading my work. Thank you all so very, very much! You're amazing!

P.S. I know I've asked this already, buuuuuuuutttt... please REVIEW!


	9. AN: Question

So... I'm not sure if anyone will actually read this update. It's been forever since I've submitted anything.

Anyways, I was wondering... would anyone still be interested in reading a sequel to 'Prisoners'?

This doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to write one. I just started college and I am still trying to get used to my schedule. Still, I've been bitten by the writing bug and I kind of want to finish what I started. Also, I think it might be interesting to see if I've matured as a writer over these past few years...

Please review and let me know what you think! :3


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